Nothing makes a house feel better--or more like home--than scent. But with all the recent bad news about toxins in commercial air-fresheners, it makes sense to use pure aromatic herbs, spices, and essential oils to scent our homes. It’s so easy!
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Find out how to turn your stove into an incense burner, what vanilla extract is good for besides baking, how to make an antibacterial mist, a simple potpourri (perfect for the pounded-flower potpourri bags in article 2), and more! Here are a few fast, creative ways to make your house smell pleasing and welcoming, n/aturally.
Instant Kitchen Incense
Here’s a delightful magic trick that turns your stove into a natural incense burner, giving you all the pleasures of spirit-soothing scented smoke without the toxic risks associated with many purchased incense products.
Just place a small sprinkling of ground spices on an electric stove burner, then turn on the heat to the very lowest setting possible. Instant incense! Cinnamon and clove work best, but you could experiment with adding a little curry powder to the cinnamon-clove base.
Summery Stovetop Freshener
Mint is a wonderful freshener. It is also very uplifting. You can use either fresh or dried mint in this formula.
Ingredients:
A handful of mint leaves
8 cups of water
Combine all the ingredients in a pan on the stove. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer. Replace the liquid when needed as it evaporates.
Vanilla Odor Remover
The vanilla bean has properties that reduce odors! Try this super-easy trick for removing odors:
Ingredients:
1 to 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
Just put the vanilla in a small cup anywhere you want air freshening.
Sweet Green Mist - Formula
Mists and sprays are an easy way to add wonderful, natural scent to your home and they are proven allies in the fight against germs. Mists and sprays are a simple way of providing aromatherapy by just using essential oils, water and a spray bottle. Nothing could be easier than spritzing a few drops of these antibacterial sprays on doorknobs, bathroom surfaces, telephones--anything you touch--to keep your home smelling sweet. Because essential oils are antibacterial, they also help kill germs. The formulas keep indefinitely and, in a pretty bottle tied with a ribbon, they make great gifts. Your home will smell marvelous, and you won’t need to worry as much when guests bring coughs and sneezes in with them. Look for all-natural pure essential oils at your local natural foods store.
This couldn’t-be-easier recipe makes enough for five cups of mist, enough to share with a friend. Use liberally on non-staining surfaces or simply spray upward in the center of the room, being sure to avoid contact with eyes.
Ingredients:
Use an eyedropper to place the following in a small glass jar with a lid (a baby food jar is ideal)--
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Mix well. To use, add 4-8 drops of this base to one cup of purified or distilled water in a spray bottle, shaking to mix. Store in a cool, dark place.
Spicy Summer Potpourri
This potpourri looks lovely set out in a bowl, as well as in little potpourri bags.
Base: a combination of any or all of the following, thoroughly dried--orange peel, marigolds, chrysanthemums, lavender, asters, Queen Anne’s lace, star anise seeds, cinnamon powder or sticks, whole or powdered cloves
Oil scents: a few drops each--
Sweet orange essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Clove essential oil
Sprinkle dried base with oils and mix well. Refresh base with a few drops of oil whenever needed.
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